Rubber seal



1954 w. FITZSIMMONS 2,668,067

RUBBER SEAL Filed July 11, 1950 EVEN/Ur Mum JfirzsmMo/vs Patented Feb. 2, i954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 4

RUBBER SEAL I William J. Fitzsimmons, Chicago, n1.

Application July 11, 1950, Serial No. 173,091

7 3 Claims.

This invention relates to rubber seals adapted particularly for use in the journal boxes of railway passenger cars, freight cars and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a rubber seal adapted to be disposed about the axle of a railway car for sealing the aperture between said axle and a journal box within which an end of the axle is inserted in order to keep foreign matter from entering within, but still to allow accumulated moisture within the box to escape.

According to the present invention, a journal box for a railway car has the end portion of an axle extending therein through an aperture in the box. The rubber seal of this invention is disposed about the axle in slidable sealing relation therewith and is retainingly engaged in sealing relation within the journal box about the aperture. In order to permit the escape of accummulated moisture from within the journal box, but still to effect a tight enough seal to prevent the entry of foreign matter into said box, the upper portion of the seal is provided with narrow, bafiled vents.

The sealing between the rubber seal and the axle is accomplished by means of a deformable flange formed about an opening through the seal, said opening having its nominal diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the axle to be received within the opening. For effecting a sealing engagement with the journal box, the seal is provided with a pair of parallel outer peripheral flanges extending around the entire outer periphery of the seal except for the upper portion containing the vents. The flanges are retained in sealing engagement about the aperture through the journal box by means of a flange within the box and extending therearound. This flange retains the outer peripheral flanges of the seal against the inner side of the apertured-end of the journal box.

The narrow, baflied vents are provided by cutting away non-adjacent portions of the pair of upper peripheral seal flanges. The main body of the seal is provided with the requisite stiffness by means of a metal plate imbedded within the rubber-like material of the body portion. 7 7

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a journal box seal for a railway car which contains bafiledvents to permit the escape of accumulated moisture within the journal box, but which will prevent the Y entry of foreign matter therein, and at the same time will prevent the loss of lubricant from the journal box.

provide a vented railway journal box seal which contains a metallic liner for lending stiifness to the body of the seal.

A further object of this invention is to provide a vented seal for a railway journal box which is radially self-aligning, but which still provides adequate sealing for preventing .the loss of lubricant from the journal box and for preventing the entry of foreign matter therein.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a seal for a railway journal box through which an axle may be easily inserted and which will provide a tight and yet long wearing peripheral seal about the axle.

A specificobject of the present invention is to provide a seal for a railway journal box having an aperture therethrough to receive an axle in sealing engagement therearound and having outer peripheral flanges for continuous sealing engagement with the journal box around an aperture therethrough, said flanges having non-adjacent cut-away portions at the top portion of the seal for providing narrow, bafiled vents from the journal box to the outer atmosphere.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the accompanying one sheet of drawings in :which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view with parts in section of a railway car journal box containing the end portion of an axle and having a rubber seal of the present invention installed therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged-elevational view of one face of a rubber seal according to the present invention; 7

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line III-III of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line IV-IV of Figure 2.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1 a journal box Ill-having supporting members I I and 12 for attachment of the box to a railway car is shown with an axle l3 having a journal l4 extending therein through-an aperture l5 at one end of the journal box Ill." The journal I4 is of smaller diameter than the axle l3 and has an annular flange l6 formed at its outer end which is also the end of the axle l3.

The lower portion of the journal box l0 contains a pool of lubricant l1 therein. A journal lubricator assembly l8. partly immersed in the'pool of lubricant I1, is adapted to apply lubricant to the Another object of the present invention is to '66 journal 14. A' bearing assembly is is'disposed in be opened by raising the cover assembly 2| for the" purpose of inspecting, replacing, or repairing the parts contained within the journal box 10.

In order to allow excess moisturewitliin the" journal box 0 to escape, but :atthesame time to prevent the loss of lubricant and to prevent foreign matter from entering within thebox; a

seal 23 ofrubber-like, lubricant-resisting material is provided torclose fisheflgap left :betwe'e'n 'the axle and the edge, of v the :aperture l 5 The 1 seal 23 fits tightly yet slidably about the peiiphe'ryiof a short section? "ofx the axle 113* ofx slightly less :diameter than :the mahi-gportion .zof :the;:ax1e and located adjacent :the axially-inward en'di'of :the journal M. This section- 21i is referred toinnthe art as thexadust collaizx The; outer periphery :of the seal 23 is retained-tightlyraga-institheinner surface :of-rtherendmf lthejour-nali-box ittby. a substantiallyrcontinnous flange -25 which integrally formed around the inner surface 'ofitheijourncl boxifl; thereby forming arsubs'tantially continu ous recess 26 between thezflangeziifixand the inner race ofltheapertured end of the journa'l box I i The seal 23 :hasa substantiailyflat :bodyzmember 21 of nubstantiaily' closed 2U s'haped pattern, conforming-:generallyzto the :oross-seotionahshape ofr-theijournalzbox ifl'i A-long'its vertical center line thabodymemb'ertfi oontains'a comparatively large-circular opening52 8 define'd byia deformable mar'gma-lU-portion 29': The'imamginal'portion ifl comprisesa deformable #radial-lyra-nd: axially inwardly directed tapered lip- GQ-ibff-Ieiss thickness than thebodymember TI-and at n angl'e-itoithe plane:definedv by; the .same: Theradiallyizinwardly xiirectedmargi-n of the tiipV-SWterminatesrin a" zsharpredgefmal- The flip Bil-zis integrally attachedito :the bodyemember 21 by means- .ofra web 31 also at an angle to the plane definedtbyi'the body member andzatananglei'to thelip Spa- 'cificiallyithe web. -.3i extends radially. inwardly andtlaxiallyioutwardly. :of ithe-xbody member- 2]. Thns;:;a V-shaped igroove :29a :isviormed between the lip'30iandrthewveb; 31.-

' Thematerial tor 'thezbodyimembe'r surrounding the marginal portion 29 is thickened itoiprovide a :rounded 1 circular boss z29bwhich facilitates entryrof'the :dust'collar portion- 24; In =some cases relative movement of the axle is such {that the portion may move out :of :thefopening n. In that event the boss 29breilects a sealrwith' the verticalnshoulder between the portions-rand? I 4. in addition; suchoaxial play of the axle 13 serves to lubricate the dust collar 24 to minimize. wear .of the marginalportion :29-

It will be understoodthat when the end :of-the axle J3 is'inserted .into the opening 28, thelip 30 is deformed radiallycoutwardly and is dis posed .inrtight sealing engagement aboutthe periphery of thezshort section. The Vshaped groove 29a. is narrowed .butnot closediso thatthe freeledge. of :the zlipjll will bear against the-sectioniflspartly because of a cantilever bending ing of the lip. Because the lip is directed axially inwardly terminating at the sharp edge 30a which is in continuous peripheral contact with the short section 24, a highly efficient seal is effected and the radial contacting force need not be very great to maintain proper sealing. Consequently, the lip 30 will wear very slowly and what little wear does occur will be automatically compensated for due to the resilience of the V-shaped marginal itpor-tion.

'In ord'e'rto stiffen theb'o'dyhie'mb'er 21 a metallic plate 32 is completely imbedded within the 'material of the body. The plate 32 is of the same general pattern as the body member 21, but has smaller outside marginal dimensions and alarger iriside' margiizial diameter permitting the plate-to beacompletely surrounded by the rubberlike material of the body member.

h bout the outer peripheral portion of the body member 21 a pair of wedge-shaped substantially parallel ribs 33- and 34- are integrally formed at substantially to "the body -member 2? at "each side thereof. The outer ribs "are numbered- 33 and the inner ribs-3 1; The outer :r'ibs ts-extend substantially "continuously around the outer periphery of :the body member 2?, but contain cut out portions 35 along'the upper periphery 'of the-body member 21; the 'cut outs extending for abont one-third of the distance "across the upper periphery and beingic'entered relative to thevertica'la'xis ofthe body. The inner ribs i also extend substantially continuously around the periphery of the "body member 2 i, but contain a pair o'fmut-out portions Stoneaoh side of the body, the cut-outs 8% -'being non-adjacent to "the c'ut-eouts 35. Hence, a :pair of narrow, bailied vents 3i are provided on eachside of the body member :23; For providing an accessx opening fromi'the :recess 28 to the outer "atmosp-here and for providing an opening for insertihg the .seal into the'recess slot 38 is formed throughxthe top-of the :jOlll'Hfll'bOX l'il between the-fiangeflfi and the inward face of the apentured end. It will b nderstood that vented-moisture can be v discharged through the slot '33 oroacl; through the vents 3"! on the other -side -'of*-the seal and out-through the aperture +5 around the-axle f3. It x-readily --appa-rent that when-the "seal :23 has-its "outer periphery disposedwith'in the re-'- cess fifi within-the journal box"! 8; :the ends-oi the ribs 83" and 3d are sealing' ly engaged 'agains't' the opposed faces of-the flange 25 and'th'e 'aperture'd end-ofthe journal box it. ii henithe axle is inserted into the journa'lbox "1H3 through-"the aperture 15 and the opening :23;;the lip 30 0f the marginal portion 29 --of the seal :23 displaced radially outwardly-to b-ear' in tightvsealing :en gament -against-the periphery-of the short-section .24. Since'the seal ZS-is notfixedl'y engaged within the recess 26, it will be aligned radiallyin accordance with the radial :location of "the'raxle l 3 and will remain aligned thereabout regardless of any radial -movernent of the axle due to wear onthe bearing,'etc.

Under many conditions of "operation 'theim terior of the journal box is Will tend to nterna late excessive moisture duerto deterioration- 0f the lubricant ll and due-to the moisture ordi narily entrapped-within the new lubricant which is supplied within the journal box. According to the present-invention, any excessive 'moi'stui within the journal box it! willbe'dischargedtinto the outer atmosphere through the-ventt l "How ever, due to the baffled arrangementof' the vent iorce andipartly beoauseoi .a peripheral stretch- ,7; 3'! toreign matteryfa11in ;mt the uppripOfi-ion of the recess 25 cannot readily enter the journal box l0. Since the venting arrangement shown is located at the top of the seal 23, the substantially continuous ribs 33 and 34 will eifectively prevent foreign matter from entering within the journal box in a like manner.

From the following description it will be understood that the pr sent invention provides a novel rubber seal for railway journal boxes in order to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the journal box and to prevent the loss of lubricant therefrom. The seal, though tightly engaged about the axle and within the journal box. is radially self-aligning to permit easy installation and to allow for wear in the bearing within the journal box. An extremely simple and novel venting arrangement is provided at the top portion of the seal for discharging excessive moisture from within the journal box to the outer atmosphere.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a journal box assembly having an axle with a journal portion extending into the journal box through an aperture therein, a seal disposed about said axle and in slidable sealing engagement therewith, and a plurality of substantially continuous ribs about the outer peripheral portion of said seal, said ribs being disposed in sealing contact with said journal box adjacent the aperture therein, said ribs having non-adjacent cut-out portions at the top of said seal to form narrow, baffled vents from said journal box to the outer atmosphere.

2. In a journal box assembly having an axle with a journal portion extending into the journal box through an aperture therein, a seal of rubber-like lubricant resisting material comprising a substantially fiat body member having a relatively large opening therethrough, said opening being defined by a deformable marginal portion therearound, said deformable marginal portion being disposed in slidable sealing engagement about the axle, a plurality of substantially continuous ribs integral with said body member and extending around the bottom and sides of said opening through said body member, and ribs extending across the top of said body member above said opening therethrough, said ribs extending substantially perpendicularly to said body member and being disposed in sealing, radially displaceable contact with said journal box adjacent the aperture therein, said ribs across the top of said body member having nonadjacent cut-out portions to form bafiied vents from the journal box to the outer atmosphere.

3. A seal for a railway journal box comprising a substantially fiat body member of rubber-like lubricant-resistant material having a relatively large circular opening therethrough, a substantially fiat metallic plate embedded within the material of the body member, the opening through said body member being defined by a deformable marginal portion therearound, said deformable margin comprising an annular boss protruding axially outwardly from the plane of the body member and a resilient annular lip integral with said boss and extending radially and axially inwardly from said boss, said boss being connected with said body member by means of a generally axially outwardly extending web portion integral with said body member and with said boss, a plurality of substantially continuous ribs integral with said body member and extending about the major portion of said opening, and ribs extending across the top of said opening and having non-adjacent cut-out portions to form a baffled vent from said journal box to the the outer atmosphere. 7

WILLIAM J. FITZSIMMONS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,110 Penniman Jan. 29, 1935 2,012,974 Penniman Sept. 3, 1935 2,165,102 Kimball July 4, 1939 2,233,902 Schmied Mar. 4, 1941 2,487,669 Pattullo et al. Nov. 8, 1949 

